Yes, Microsoft is demanding — and in many cases, receiving royalties — from companies selling devices that run Android, an operating system based on Linux. This shows that its place in the world remains complicated. Though it’s moving to the web, it is still very much a company that makes money selling software — and it still has an interest in protecting this business.
Read more »Meet Mobster Bill Gates, the Man Who Charges Open Source Software even if is free Android Linux
http://www.wired.com –
Microsoft confirms UEFI fears, locks down ARM devices
http://www.softwarefreedom.org –
At the beginning of December, we warned the Copyright Office that operating system vendors would use UEFI secure boot anticompetitively, by colluding with hardware partners to exclude alternative operating systems.
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Previous Article Barnes & Noble Blows The Lid Off Microsoft's Android Patent Squeeze
http://www.networkworld.com –
B&N claims that all of these [exposed patents] are "trivial" and "insignificant" in terms of Android's use. They claim Microsoft is using these patents for minor functionality to hold Android hostage. It is not just licensing fee's either, ...
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Consumers Don't Own Computers "Designed for Windows 8", and They Go to Landfills Earlier
http://blog.ofset.org –
What you should be aware of and concerned about as a consumer is those machines labeled as "Designed for Windows 8". Much more so if you care about the environmental and humanitarian problems caused by e-wastes, for these machines do end up much earlier as e-wastes than the ordinary machines manufactured now.
Read more »Microsoft, Red Hat Spar Over Secure Boot-loading Tech
http://www.pcworld.com –
Is Microsoft using a next-generation computing boot-loading technology to lock out the use of Linux and other OSEs on certain computers? While Microsoft has denied malicious intent, one Red Hat developer maintains that this may be the case.
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European Commission buys Microsoft for 20 years without competition
https://www.computerweekly.com –
Karsten Gerloff, president of lobby group Free Software Foundation Europe, said the ongoing Microsoft arrangement was a "disgrace" for the European Commission (EC).
"It's astounding that every single agreement between the Commission and Microsoft since 1993 has been concluded without a public call for tender," he said.
TLWIR 13: C++11, Google Buys Motorola, and Linux No Longer a Threat
http://beginlinux.com –
This week was punctuated by three phenomenal stories that show how free software is prospering. C++ has been one of the staples of free software for several decades. It is the programming language of choice for a lot of programmers, and it just got a brand new revision. Google has provided some much-needed backing of free software by buying Motorola Mobility and its associated patent pool.
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Google also passes on European data to US authorities
http://www.h-online.com –
More solid reasons for leaving the cloud to the birds. With varying international laws, almost anyone can end up examining your private data. Security and privacy are never guaranteed.
Read more »It's official: IE users are dumb as a bag of hammers
http://www.theregister.co.uk –
After measuring the IQs of exactly 101,326 users and correlating their scores with the browser they had used to access the test, "There was a clear indication ... that the subjects using any version of Internet Explorer ranked significantly lower on an average than others,"
Read more »The Same Old Microsoft at OSCON
http://ur1.ca –
Microsoft bought a seat at OSCON. There are problems with both what they are telling us and what others might not be able to tell us because of this. A small retrospective is in order.
Read more »FSFE Newsletter - July 2011
http://fsfe.org –
- attack on Free Software and the GNU GPL – the AVM case
- FSFE Internal: An era ends, others start – the team evolution
- how the European Commission got contract signed with Microsoft without caring about alternatives
- help us in Strasbourg!
Two new projects can help free software replace Skype
http://www.fsf.org –
GNU Free Call and WebRTC are both building frameworks that stand to make Skype obsolete. Skype has been in the news a lot lately: Microsoft agreed to buy the company, their network has gone down twice recently, and they're threatening to take unspecified action against developers who try to write free software to make calls on their system.
Read more »The European Commission’s locked-in syndrome
http://blogs.fsfe.org –
EC migrates to windows 7, contracts made without public call for tender. Explanations confirm lock-in as motivation which is in contradiction with European procurement Directive. A black day for Europe.
Read more »Microsoft case: FSFE in European Court of Justice hearing
http://fsfe.org –
Fresh action in the European Commission's antitrust proceedings against Microsoft: On May 24, the European Court of Justice conducts a hearing on Microsoft's appeal against the fine. FSFE has participated in the case for a decade and will intervene on the Commission's behalf.
Read more »Microsoft Skype
http://www.fsf.org –
People who focus on minor issues are greatly exercized about the purchase of Skype by Microsoft. How will this affect the success of Skype's spyware, they ask? Was it good strategy for one or the other? Did Microsoft pay too much? How does this affect the possible success of this or that other company?
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